1/31/16

Vanderbilt University - Baseball - Part 1

The baseball at Vanderbilt is incredible.

This year, out of 37 players, they have 13 freshmen who are ranked the top recruiting class in the country. It is the fourth time the Commodores have led the rankings during a record 11-year streak of Top 25 classes.

So, yes, it's fair to expect the talent displayed on the field to be a bit better than the norm.

I have seen 17 pitchers. Only possibly 3 or 4 of those are NOT clocked in the 90s with freshman Donny Everett who has reportedly been clocked at 100 mph last year, in high school.

During the first few days, the team only practiced. During the first week-end, they started to play intrasquad games, with a length depending on how many pitchers are available on a certain day.

Usually, the players do something before the actual start of the practice, on their own.
Position players, for the most part, have developped their own hitting routines.

For one of the catchers, it's mostly tee work, drills to stay short and compact, for one of the infielders, short bat and front toss, for one of the outfielders, it's straight to the Iron Mike pitching machine.

It's not just random work. It's preparation. It's some degree of freedom and/or individualization.
You don't hear guys joking, goofing around. They get their work done, with a purpose.

Before the start of the team practice, the team and all the staff meets in the classroom.
That meeting usually lasts for about 30 minutes.

Coach Corbin introduces the potential guests of the day (possible recruits, visiting coaches,...) then starts the actual meeting.

Then, topics vary from weigth management, nutrition and hydration to adopting the Vanderbilt attitude to game strategy, MLB plays analysis to a lot of different matters.
Of course, there is always a part of the description of what is coming next, on the field.

Everybody knows what to do and when to do it before getting into practice.